Chandigarh, May 6:
In a significant push to boost cotton cultivation in the state, Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian ordered the Chief Agriculture Officers (CAOs) of eight districts of Malwa region to train and guide farmers on modern cotton farming techniques, besides ensuring strict compliance on pest control measures and enhance monitoring.
S. khudian, along with Dr. Basant Garg, Administrative Secretary of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, reviewed the block-wise progress of cotton crop cultivation across eight districts of the Malwa region including Fazilka, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Bathinda, Mansa, Barnala, Sangrur, Moga and Faridkot.
The state has set an ambitious target of bringing 1.25 lakh hectares under cotton cultivation this season, the Agriculture Minister said while reaffirming the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government’s commitment to strengthening Punjab’s position as a leading producer of the “White Gold.”
S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that the CM Mann led Punjab Government has announced a 33% subsidy on BT cotton hybrid seeds recommended by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana to reduce input cost on cotton growers, while simultaneously discouraging the cultivation of non-recommended hybrid seeds to enable farmers to adopt high-yielding and pest-resistant BT cotton hybrid seeds. Notably, the PAU has recommended 87 high-yielding, pest-resistant hybrid cotton seed varieties tailored for optimal growth in the state’s agro-climatic conditions.
To address the persistent issue of pink bollworm infestation, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian reviewed the status of managing and cleaning cotton stalks and leftover residues from the previous season, which serve as breeding grounds for the pink bollworm. He further informed that weed eradication campaign has also been initiated in the cotton belt for management of whitefly.
The campaign is carried out with the support of district administration, other departments and MGNREGA to destroy weeds standing alongside roads, canals and in abandoned sites etc.
S. Khudian asked the CAOs to ensure monitoring of pink bollworm in ginning factories and fumigation of cotton stock to control pink bollworm larvae in the ginneries.
Dr. Basant Garg apprised the Agriculture Minister that a massive outreach campaign will be launched, with 961 farmer awareness camps will be organised in the month of May to educate and motivate farmers to shift to cotton from water guzzling paddy crop. He also directed the Agriculture department officials to ensure the availability of quality seeds and fertilisers and conduct regular checking at seed and fertilisers stores. This proactive approach aims to protect farmers from potentially harmful or substandard agricultural inputs.
Director Agriculture Jaswant Singh said that the department will also establish large-scale demonstration in 1,875 hectares to showcase the best practices in cotton farming to helping farmers adopt modern techniques. A Joint Director-level officer has been designated as Nodal Officer for Cotton Crop to ensure seamless coordination and execution of policies.
